The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Typically, one of the recommendations to reduce medication errors and harm is to use the “five rights of medicine administration”: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time. However, the five rights should be accepted as a goal of the medication process not the “be all and end all” of medication safety. It is important to follow the rules of the 5 rights of patient medication administration to keep the patient safe and prevent harm. Medical professional errors often occur in the medical field, and utilizing the five rights points can help to avoid these errors.
It is important for every medical professional to be knowledgeable about the medication being given to the patient. It is not possible for every medical professional to know the drug facts on every drug. To be safe and competent, the medical professional should look up unfamiliar drug information before giving the medication to the patient. The patient has the right to information on the medication, the right to receive the correct medication, and the right to have a medical professional knowledgeable in the medication they are providing. Examples of the five rights of medicine administration may include:
Right Patient—Be sure you have the right patient before administering medication; Ask the patient to state their full name.
Right Medication—Check the bottle's label against the physician's authorization; Be sure they match.
Right Dose—Double check the amount of medication before administering; Be sure the amount to be given is clearly understood.
Right Time—Medication is to be given in substantial compliance with the physician's request; Within one half hour before or after the scheduled time.
Right Route—Designated medical professionals are authorized to administer oral medication only; Do not administer ear, eye, nose drops, topical medication, or injected medication.
Typically, medicine may include a special food or a chemical that makes someone better when they are ill. A lot of medicines are liquid and can be bought in a small bottle. Other medicines may come in pills or capsules. The doctor may tell the patient or caregiver how much medicine to take each day. Most medicines cannot be bought unless a doctor (or other authorized professional) has prescribed the medicine for the patient. Often, the doctor or pharmacist provide specific instructions for administering the medicine, including dosages, quantities, and warnings.
Typically, medicine containers are containers that contain medicine prescribed by doctors. Medicine containers come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. The most common is an orange pill bottle, opaque liquid bottle or a pill box.
Typically, dosage forms are a mixture of active drug components and nondrug components. Depending on the method of administration they come in several types. These are liquid dosage form, solid dosage form and semisolid dosage forms. Various dosage forms may exist for a single particular drug, since different medical conditions can warrant different routes of administration. Additionally, a specific dosage form may be a requirement for certain kinds of drugs, as there may be issues with various factors like chemical stability or pharmacokinetics. The oral and intravenous doses of a medicine may also vary depending on the patient, the strength of the medication, and the severity of the illness.
Even though the above cited medicine dispensing systems address some of the needs of the market, a medicine dispensing record system that effectively records the administration of the medicine after each subsequent dosage is still desired.